


once upon a time

by steviesbucks



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Perthshire Cottage (Marvel), Post-Finale, Post-Season/Series 07, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:34:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26585947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steviesbucks/pseuds/steviesbucks
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a man, a woman, a cottage and their little monkey.
Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	once upon a time

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Just a bit of post 7x13 fluff because it’s criminal that I haven’t posted any and it’s my birthday when I’m posting this. Hope you enjoy!  
> Once again, huge thanks to my betas [hazzarat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazzarat) and [showzen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/showzen) !! I couldn't write without y'all <3

Despite being retired, Jemma Simmons wasn’t going to deny her friends help if they needed it. She’d nipped into town to post some photos to her parents- they liked putting the printed out versions on the fridge. The little bundle had lots of photos of Alya, both on her own and various with her parents and nature. She was a photogenic little lady and was always happy to smile for the camera. Jemma was determined to capture all the best times she had with her daughter so she could share them with their family- Daisy was often demanding photos of them and proclaiming that one day she’d have to get a photo with their daughter herself. 

She let herself in, greeted by the overwhelming warmth of their little cottage in summer and the music playing from the kitchen. Fitz was singing along, Alya joining in with some noises more akin to the tune than the words, both of them joining in their own perfectly imperfect melody. Jemma slid her shoes off and padded into the kitchen, curious to know what her husband and daughter had got up to since she left. When she spotted her, Alya hopped down off of her little stepping stool, dashing over to plant head first into her mum’s middle, though kept her arm outstretched. 

Jemma couldn’t help the warm smile that took over her face as she leaned down to give her daughter a proper hug. “Hello, sweet girl! I missed you too.” 

“Oi, monkey, you need to wash your hands before you get your mum all messy!” Fitz gently scolded, bringing a cloth over to wipe Alya’s outstretched hands of whatever was on them.    
  
“Messy? What fun have you been having without me?” 

The little girl wiggled in her mum’s grasp, giggling as her dad tried to get all the paint from between her fingers. “We did some art! Daddy drew me a monkey and I painted it all by myself without any help at all!” 

Jemma beamed with joy at the pride on Alya’s face, already so fiercely independent at such a tender age. “Oh my! A monkey, all by yourself? Am I allowed to see?” 

“I think this monkey needs a bit of time to dry before he’s ready to be seen by the world, love. But I think  _ our  _ monkey needs…” Fitz winked at Jemma, giving her a little nod. She slowly unwinded her arms from her daughter, standing up properly once more. 

“.. _ a tickle!” _ He scooped Alya up before she even knew what was happening, her squeals of laughter as Fitz tickled her louder than the music still playing. Jemma was laughing too, joining in with the tickling until her daughter was hiccuping, Fitz placing her sitting down on the counter as he carefully rubbed her back, chucking all the while. “Do  _ I  _ get an ‘I missed you’ hug, Jem?”    
  
She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around her husband’s shoulders. She leaned up a little to press a kiss to his cheek, running her fingers through the back of his hair. He’d been letting it grow out since they moved to Perthshire and she absolutely loved it (and the new beard he’d been deciding to grow too) and never failed to remind him. “I really do love your hair, y’know? Very handsome.”    
  
“I  _ do  _ know, actually, because you’ve told me once today already, Jemma.”   
  
“Then what’s once more, hm?” She gently pressed her lips to his, pulling back to look him in the eyes and offer him a genuine smile. 

Fitz always said their daughter’s eyes looked like his but had all the warmth of Jemma’s; she always disagreed. The pure  _ love  _ and adoration reflected in his gaze overwhelmed her sometimes; she knew he loved her, Fitz had made that very clear with all the things he’d done for her in the years they knew each other. She’d just never experienced something as  _ strong  _ as the fire that burned in his eyes when he looked at her. 

He saved the same look for their daughter; Alya was all of the stars in both of their skies, she thought, turning her gaze to look at their daughter. She smiled back with a toothy grin, little legs kicking over the countertop. “Mama, you’ve made daddy’s hair all messy!” 

“I have, haven’t I?” She replied, reaching over to mess up Fitz’s hair even more just to hear her little angel giggle. “Do you think I could look at your monkey now? I’m very excited to see him.” 

“Will he be dry yet?”    
  
“Maybe not just yet, but I’m sure you’ll be fine as long as you don’t touch him.” 

Alya nodded vigorously, climbing up onto the counter fully to point at the little corner where she’d put her monkey to dry. Jemma crossed the kitchen, smiling when she found the painting drying in the corner. “Are you  _ sure  _ you painted this? You and daddy didn’t call a professional in?”    
  
“I painted it! Do you like it?”    
  
“I  _ love _ it, Alya. When he’s dry, we can put him up down here or in the living room or in your bedroom! He’s very beautiful. Does he have a name?” 

“Hmm… I’m not sure yet. Can you get back to me?” The little girl quizzed, making Jemma burst into chuckles. “What’s funny, mum?”    
  
“Sorry- Sorry, darling, you just sounded so much like your dad then-” 

“Oi! What’s wrong with that?” Fitz teased, scooping his daughter up to put her on the floor or the kitchen. “I say we have some lunch while we wait for your monkey to dry, poppet. What do you say?”    
  
“Yesssss! Dinner time, dinner time, dinner time,” she echoed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands together. 

“The lady speaks, Jem. What are we making?” 

“I’ll make the three of us a  _ very  _ nice garden picnic, seeing as though you’ve been so busy making monkeys. Why don’t you go play outside for now?” 

“You’re the best, mum, thank you! Can we race to the bottom of the garden, daddy?”    
  
“Go for it, little monkey. I’ll give you a head start so you can set off now.” 

“I don’t  _ need  _ a head start!” Alya dashed outside nonetheless, leaving Jemma and Fitz inside alone. 

He leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead, gently squeezing her hip. “Love you, Jem. You really are a saint.”    
  
“Love you too, more than anything. Well, almost anything- said anything is going to get impatient if you leave her racing on her own.”    
  
Fitz chuckled a little, pressing a soft kiss to her lips before he left out of the back door to the garden. Jemma faintly heard him shouting after Alya who was surely running at top speed by the time he got to join her in the garden and she thought about how she really was the luckiest person in all the world. She had her happy ending. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it. Leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed! I can be found on tumblr at docjemsimmons if you have any prompts or just want to chat!


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